From one point of view, academic support can be seen as a blessing. However, it does come at a price, of course, and some children will see it as a punishment.

It’s really useful because, unlike classes at school, the tutor can take their time with something the student doesn’t understand. They’ll act as their academic advisor or coach.

They can adapt their teaching methods. Too many people see academic support as only help for struggling students.

This is a reductive view. As you’ll see, private tutorials are so much more than that and they can help any student achieve academic success.

Whether you want to apply to a college or university, learn some study skills, or just get help with your homework, here’s everything you need to know about academic support.

The Growing Need for Academic Support

We can see it around us and parents are aware of it, too. More and more people are opting for academic support.

It’s more than just a fad, academic support is now seen as a viable complement to their regular lessons.

The growth of Superprof is a testament to this.

Why is this the case?

We believe there are two main reasons…

Academic support should work with the lessons you get at school, not against them. (Source: Gellinger)

Academic Support is the Ideal Complement to School

Parents are becoming more critical of the schooling their children are getting but we’re not here to criticise teachers.

However, you could say that the increasing popularity of academic support is evidence of a lack of trust.

Does that mean parents no longer trust school teachers and are turning to tutoring as a result?

Is academic support a sign of people losing confidence in the national education system?

It can be hard looking at things like that.

We’d rather say that academic support and homework help is used as a complement to the teaching offered in primary school, secondary school, sixth form, and college, rather than a replacement for it.

Academic support often takes place at home with a tutor providing tuition by advising the learner and providing them with the appropriate academic skills to succeed.

A student’s regular teachers have to follow the curriculum throughout the year. They don’t have as much freedom when it comes to changing it or deviating from it. This is normal in schools. However, it doesn’t mean that a child is guaranteed to understand all of it. This is when academic support can come in and focus on the topics the child is struggling with at school. Private tuition is there to assist the learner.

Academic support is a great way for parents to regain control over their child’s learning. Even if the parents are gifted in languages, international business, physics, chemistry, or whatever, they mightn’t have the time to pass on this knowledge to their children.

Calling a tutor could be a great idea! Keep in mind that working with a tutor is a collaborative process and the parents, child, and tutor, all need to be involved and invested.

Academic Support for Helping Struggling Students

There are two types of students who can benefit from academic support: Those aiming for greatness, and those who are struggling to find it.

When a student starts struggling, academic support can help them catch up or get to grips with their lessons at school. (Source: Pexels)

The latter needs academic support to avoid failing exams and doing resits. In fact, exam and test prep is very popular during the academic year.

They can be quite the challenge for private tutors. They may struggle with the pace of their lessons at school. Their parents don’t want to see them fall further behind, either.

This is where academic support comes into play. Thanks to tailored lessons, interactive activities, and adapted revision sessions, the student will learn differently. As we said earlier, academic support grants the tutor more freedom.

Two approaches are better than one when it comes to learning.

Intensive academic support doesn’t technically guarantee great grades, but it can help struggling students catch up with their classmates.

Thanks to tailored teaching methods, a private tutor can focus on a child’s weaknesses in maths, for example. During the summer holidays, it’s more common to see study groups focusing on consolidating everything that was covered during the year.

Things that once seemed impossible in front of 20 other students may be easy in a private tutorial.

Academic Support for Getting Into Top Universities

Those applying for top universities can also benefit from academic support to get their grades up.

Even with their parents’ help, this kind of student may need even more support. Academic support tutorials can often get the best out of gifted students by making their lessons more interesting.

They can achieve their full potential by:

Helping them master a foreign language.

Deepening their understanding of mathematics and physics in order to get an A*.
Showing them different approaches to revising.

Providing them with a personalised learning plan to get the most out of their studies.

Contacting a private tutor isn’t just for students who are struggling. Quite the opposite! Some parents choose for academic support as early as primary school. Once a child starts struggling, it’s definitely something worth looking into.

Tutors can help with the admission process and applying to scholarships. If you need certain grades or results for a particular scholarship, it’ll be worthwhile scheduling a one on one session with a tutor.

Homework Help and Tailored Tutorials

Homework help and personalised academic support is more valuable than it’s ever been. Students in primary school, secondary school, sixth form, and college can all benefit from academic support.

You can get support in almost any subject. (Source: Free-Photos)

Homework and coursework is also becoming a greater part of students’ grades. When it comes to student success, homework plays a vital role both in terms of their grades and their learning. Homework is designed to facilitate the learning process by consolidating the knowledge attained during the day’s classes.

Younger students aren’t used to being in charge of their own learning. This is how academic support and homework help can help them. Parents, tutors, and students need to work together in order to get the most out of the students.

It’s important to remember that academic support isn’t just for struggling students. It can be an ongoing process that can help a student make some real gains.

Academic Support Tutors: Scholastic Coaching

It’s important to see academic support tutors differently. Not as a teacher like you have in school and not as a friend, either. Even though they do teach in your house. Their role is unlike that of your child’s teachers at school and so is their relationship with their students. Their goal isn’t to impress by going from topic to topic. They’re there to help your child understand things they didn’t in class.

Did the student learn what they were supposed to?

In order to achieve this goal, they have to act as an educational coach. This is what academic support is all about. The tutor teaches both theoretical and practical knowledge. They also do so much more than that.

In order to achieve certain goals, they’ll have to break down psychological barriers that have been stopping the student from learning. They have to show students how to overcome certain challenges.

They can do this in any subject: maths, English, history, geography, Spanish, French, chemistry, physics, biology, etc. They can provide mentoring and help with completing that troublesome assignment. Of course, they won’t do your assignment for you! They’ll provide you with the right study strategies and the discipline to sit down and do it!

Academic Support: Life Lessons

Academic support can teach students valuable life lessons, too. Regular schooling focuses on education, socialisation, and their future prospects.

An academic support tutor could help you succeed. (Source: Free-Photos)

Academic support complements their regular studies. It fills in the gaps between primary school, secondary school, sixth form, college, and university.

When it comes to university, it doesn’t matter if you’re an undergraduate or a postgraduate, academic support can give you the boost you need to ensure that you’ll be at your graduation.

In fact, there’s even the option of peer tutoring. This, as you can imagine, is when another student enrolled on your course can help you to learn. It often takes place in the form of workshops and drop-ins.

You should have a look on campus during the semester to see whether or not your university or student services offer this or something similar. They tend to meet either in the libraries or in a dedicated seminar room.

They can help with the finer details of learning. The subjects that often cause students a lot of problems. When students struggle, they sometimes need help achieving a certain goal.

So what are you waiting for?

There are plenty of tutoring services out there for people who need supplemental instruction! On Superprof, a lot of our tutors offer free tutoring for the first hour, which is a great way to see what they offer and whether they’re right for you.